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There Will be TradesJune 04 08  This is a special feature from guest blogger Christopher Sells.In the aftermath of yesterday’s Flip Saunders firing, there is only one thing that is certain. Joe Dumars is pissed. During the press conference he held, it became very clear that Joe D, he of the cool on-court demeanor that would not wilt under pressure, can get emotional. He pulled no punches and he said some surprising things. The most surprising of these is Dumars’ declaration that someone on the Pistons will be traded. As he said of firing Saunders, "It’s never the easiest change you can make, but it’s the first change you can make." It was indeed the first, and it sounds like he thinks any changes that follow will be easier. They will not, it seems, involve a player that is on the team’s periphery. "I’ll make a significant trade." Direct quote from Dumars. Excepting Ben Wallace, who left by his own decision, this core has been intact since the Pistons won their lone championship. The surrounding pieces have varied a bit, but even they haven’t been shuttled in and out. The Pistons have been the picture of NBA consistency, even if that hasn’t always meant ultimate victory. Well, the directive has come form the top. Things will change. [image:http://farm1.static.flickr.com/221/506790566_0d7de92865_m.jpg]
Draft Potentials Poked and ProddedJune 04 08  This is a special feature by guest blogger Christopher Sells.OK, poked and prodded is probably not quite accurate, but it’s not too far from the truth, either. After their participation in the predraft measurements, testing and, for the brave or uncertain, the camp, all that is left for players are individual workouts. They’ll get to show off for specific teams and prove themselves against other players that are presumably of similar talent. Any player will tell you that the real place to find out how good or bad someone’s game is is on the court. While this is true, there is a reason that the league still conducts a player combine and measures them. Teams can usually draw some conclusions and keep from wasting valuable time leading up to the draft on June 26. You find out who is weak and who is strong, who has jets and who’s running through quicksand, who flies high and who doesn’t fly at all, who’s been lying about their height (everyone) and who could stand to work out a little more. For the record, those results, free of judgments of any sort, can be found here and here.
Wade to the Bulls?June 03 08  This is a special feature by guest blogger Christopher Sells.If you’ve read some of my past work, you may know by now that I don’t really care for Pat Riley that much. This is not to say that I don’t have a great deal of respect for a man that has coached three different teams into the NBA Finals and won championships with two. But if these new rumors are true, I may soon lose that respect as well. Word out there is that the Bulls and Heat are considering swapping picks in the upcoming draft, along with Dwyane Wade. I have absolutely no idea why the Heat would do this. Wade, ever the professional, had this to say about the rumors: "I have heard my name being talked about, and I can’t worry about it. There is one thing in this league that you have no control over. If another organization wants you, then you should feel good to be wanted." This is true, of course. And what team wouldn’t want Wade? Aside from his injury concerns, which should be cleared up come next season, there’s not much negative that comes with him. He’s a top ten player when healthy and one of the league’s most recognizable faces. He’s won a championship and plays hard almost to a fault. So he might be with Star Jones. Hey, no one’s perfect. And if Riley is going to give Wade away for an unproven rookie and the spare parts that are on the Bulls’ roster, he’s certifiably insane. [image:http://www.flickr.com/photos/sportech/2253073304/]
Flip OutJune 03 08  This is a special feature by guest blogger Christopher Sells.Most franchises would view a trip to the conference finals as a success. For the Detroit Pistons, this is not the case. They’ve been in the conference finals in each of the last several years, advancing to the NBA Finals only twice. So what do teams do these days when the team underperforms? They fire their coach. Bye bye, Flip. Flip Saunders got three chances to get Detroit over the hump and he failed each time. When you’re employed by a franchise that gets rid of coaches who have just won a championship or who have posted back-to-back 50-win seasons, you should feel lucky that you got three chances at all. One has to wonder exactly what Joe Dumars and Co. expected from Saunders. After all, his reputation in Minnesota, his previous job, was that he couldn’t get a team out of the first round. After all, he only did it once and it took career years from Kevin Garnett, Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell. So Detroit is now left to look for a coach that will mesh well with this team, along with improving the roster in some way that will return them to the pinnacle of the conference. Flip will either catch on with a team somewhere or (more likely) end up analyzing the game on TV next year. [image:http://farm1.static.flickr.com/203/509739162_499257aa5b_m.jpg]
Let the Hype BeginJune 02 08  This is a special feature by guest blogger Christopher Sells.The hype machine is already at full speed and there are still three days to until Boston and Los Angeles renew their rivalry in the Finals. This will be the 11th time they’ve faced off for the Larry O’Brien trophy. What story will people grab onto? Kobe’s attempt to win a ring without Shaq and cement his legacy? Phil Jackson’s attempt to pass Red Auerbach’s championship total against Red’s old team? The “Boston Three Party” attempting to win a ring in their first season together? Paul Pierce playing in the Finals against his hometown team? Magic vs. Bird? Huge media markets playing against one another, almost guaranteeing high TV ratings? Jackson’s wealth of experience vs. Doc Rivers’ lack thereof? The week we’ve had to wait to see any action? The possibility that past fans will flock back to see the NBA’s two most dominant franchises (31 of 62 league championships after this season) because it’s a familiar matchup from the league’s golden years? That’s just to name a few. Undoubtedly there are more circulating in the papers and online. With all of the hype surrounding the series, it’s almost impossible to believe that the actual on-court play will be able to compare with all of the surrounding hype. But just maybe... [image:http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1033/544506045_f7f3dd982e_m.jpg]
Red on Roundball: Quit FloppingMay 31 08  This is a special feature by guest blogger Christopher Sells. A fantastic video from basketball legend Red Auerbach addressing flopping, which, if you haven’t heard, will draw some sort of fine and/or punishment next season. I think the best thing about the video is that it was filmed more than 30 years ago. This was a problem then and, evidently, not enough was done to prevent further abuse of the rules regarding offensive fouls now. It sounds a lot like Red thought that defenders should step up and play D like men instead of flopping all over the place. To be fair, most middle schoolers do a better acting job than the guys in that video, but still the point is made.
Attention All Big MenMay 31 08  This is a special feature by guest blogger Christopher Sells. I have mad respect for guys like Sam Perkins, Detlef Schrempf, even Manute Bol. At the time that they played, they were basically a novelty. Then Toni Kukoc came along and kind of revamped what those guys did. Since then, things have definitely gone too far. I’m calling for all big men to remain inside the three-point line. Effective immediately. Somewhere in the last decade or so, it became cool and popular for big guys to play like guards. As a result, there are too many big bodies roaming around on the perimeter when they should be pounding in the paint. We’re at the point that we’ve stared calling them classic centers, where we were all ecstatic when we saw Greg Oden playing like an actual center. No more. We will no longer get excited when a big guy does what a big guy is supposed to do. It’s time when held guys to a different standard. If they think it’s OK to be a guard, they’ll keep acting like guards. So it starts with me and you. Then we have to start making the coaches feel the heat. If we can get to them, then maybe it will be viewed as unacceptable for your starting center to go 0-6 from three while shooting no free throws and turning in a 2-12 performance overall. I’m sure I’m overreacting to Rasheed Wallace’s performance last night, but until we sort out who deserves the freedom to shoot the long ball, everyone get their privileges revoked. If you’re 6’10” and over, get to the paint and start working on your game. You have all summer. Make it happen. [image:http://farm1.static.flickr.com/223/488858193_17a6d957e1.jpg?v=0]
Sheed Said What?May 30 08  This is a special feature by guest blogger Christopher Sells. I love Sheed. He got fined $25,000 for that masterpiece. For the record, he’s also one technical away from a one-game suspension. Of course, none of that will matter if the Pistons lose tonight. And with Rip Hamilton at less than 100% after his elbow injury late in the last game, that’s a real possibility. [image:http://farm1.static.flickr.com/29/92629400_ab81d945f7_m.jpg]
Back in the Finals: LakersMay 30 08  This is a special feature by guest blogger Christopher Sells. Welcome back to the big time, L.A. So much for suspense. So much for making us wait. The Lakers punched their ticket to the Finals last night, beating the Spurs in five games. This will mark their first trip to the Finals since they lost to Detroit in 2004. This time could certainly be different, as there are only a handful of players on the team who were present for the Pistons debacle, most notably league MVP Kobe Bryant. The Lakers have the luxury of sitting around and waiting to see which team they’ll face when the Finals begin June 5. They’ll be able to rest up a bit, maybe heal some bumps and bruises, before they get on a plane headed to either Detroit or Boston. Kobe may even have time to shoot another video. Maybe this time, he’ll try to get us to believe that he can jump over a house or something. With their youth, the Lakers could be in this position a few more times in the coming years, although the strength of the West could certainly dictate otherwise. Phil Jackson is stressing the importance of capitalizing on their present opportunity, knowing that a loss in the Finals will hurt, despite any views to the future. So we have half of the NBA’s penultimate matchup set. Tonight could see the other half set, depending on how well the Celtics play on the road against the Pistons. [image:http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2340/2499141726_de39182726.jpg?v=0]
Spurs’ Backs Against the WallMay 29 08  This is a special feature by guest blogger Christopher Sells. The NBA admitted that there should have been a foul called on the final play of Game Four in the Western Conference Finals. There will be no replay of the final seconds, no win awarded, nothing. Basically, all the Spurs get is “Whoops. Sucks for you!” The Spurs now find themselves staring at a 3-1 deficit in the series when they could very easily be up by that same margin. The Spurs are undoubtedly thinking about the 20-point lead they squandered in Game One in addition to the opportunity that was taken from them on Tuesday. There are conversations now about the Spurs increasing age and whether their time has passed. I find that amusing because a bounce of the ball here or there could have those same people questioning the Lakers’ youth and abilities. It would seem that memories have become very short if they are overlooking these things. In case you’re wondering, only eight teams have overcome a 3-1 deficit in the Playoffs. To many, it is all but a foregone conclusion that [image:http://farm1.static.flickr.com/172/418492339_138238fc2b_m.jpg]
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